It is the Ramadan Season for Muslims so I went about exploring Masjid Istiqlal, the biggest mosque in South East Asia. Since I am living here in Indonesia surrounded by a predominantly Muslim population, it is but fitting to see the core of their daily life, their faith.

Masjid Istiqlal is located here in Jakarta. Here’s the address for those of you who want to visit the place:

Masjid Istiqlal Mosque Address: Jl. Taman Wijaya Kusuma, Ps. Baru, Kecamatan Sawah Besar, Kota Jakarta Pusat, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 10710

Interestingly, the biggest masjid is right in front of the Cathedral. Of course, the Cathedral is the bastion of the Catholic faith. These two imposing structures stand witness to how tolerant and diverse Indonesians, particularly Jakartans, have become.

Exploring Masjid Istiqlal is not hard or prohibitive. In fact, there is an office inside Istiqlal that welcomes visitors. They have staff doing guided tours. So, you are welcome to get in to explore and learn more about the mosque and Islam.

I didn’t have to go through the visitor’s office as I was with an Indonesian, Guti, my reliable house help. She’s Indonesian and a Muslim but it was also her first time entering the mosque. She was overjoyed, especially since we are entering during the time of Ramadan.

Wudu

There are separate entrances for men and women. Even the prayer hall has a separation between men and women.

All Muslims have to wash prior to praying. There is an area where they perform their purification ritual called Wudu. To my limited knowledge, I thought they only clean their feet. But Guti washed her face as well. I asked, what about those with makeup? I think about the most trivial things. She said, ideally they have to wash their faces of makeup before entering the prayer hall. They can put on makeup again after if they like. I am not sure if this is being observed by a lot, though. But Guti did.

The Library

Unexpectedly, I saw a signage that says Library. We entered the room and saw two staff on duty. They weren’t strict at all. All we had to do was register at their automated visitor counter and deposit our bags. They have lockers available and we were given a key. We were free to go around and check out the books. I think Guti was in awe going around and touching books and the big Quran on display in one of the corners.

The Prayer Hall

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The Prayer Hall can accommodate up to 200,000. It has 5 floors representing the 5 pillars of Islam. The eye-catching dome in the middle of the prayer hall is 45m in diameter representing Indonesia’s independence on August 17, 1945.

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Explore Istiqlal Mosque in this video

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